Drug supply in Visayas to decline after P9.68B ‘shabu’ haul in Batangas

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The drug supply in Visayas region is expected to drop dramatically following the seizure of P9.68 billion worth of shabu in a Batangas port.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) said it is anticipating the decline since the seized contraband is expected to be distributed to the southern part of the country.

“Anticipated na nato nga mogamay ang supply diri,” relayed Leia Alcantara, PDEA-7 spokesperson.

Last Monday, April 15, authorities flagged down a passenger van during a checkpoint along the highway in Barangay Pinagkrusan, Alitagtag, Batangas.

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The driver, Alajon Michael Zarate, reportedly seemed uneasy which sparked suspicions among police officers. 

When they inspected the vehicle, operatives found almost two tons of suspected shabu worth around P9.86 billion.

The shabu were reportedly placed inside sacks and plastic containers at the back of the vehicle.

Authorities earlier estimated the confiscated illegal drugs to be worth P13 billion. But an official inventory revealed it was worth only P9.68 billion.

Zarate, a former US Army soldier, was arrested and charged.

In light of this, PDEA-7 expressed its elation over the operation that resulted to the seizure of the biggest amount of drugs in the country so far.

“So katong naconfiscate to siya didto, nalipay ta and we congratulate the PNP for that operation kay wala na naabot diri sa atoa,” stated Alcantara.

Alcantara also said that the drug bust in Batangas in Luzon, where most drug supplies in Central Visayas come from, will have a negative effect in the drug supply in Visayas.

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“Katong confiscation didto sa Alitagtag Batangas, dako kaayo to siya og impact sa supply diri sa Central Visayas. Kay as we have mentioned before, based as atong monitoring, wala man jud tay supplier diri sa Central Visayas nga kanang diri gyud ba siya naggikan. Ang atong supply gyud diri sa region, gikan gyud sa NCR sa Luzon area,” she stated.

Furthermore, she disclosed that there was a possibility that a portion of the P9 billion worth of drugs were intended for distribution to Visayas and Mindanao.

With this, PDEA-7 is expecting that the drug supply in Visayas will significantly decrease.

Despite this, Alcantara said that operatives will not be complacent as criminals always find other ways to transport drugs across regions.

“So dili ta mokompyansa. We will still continue our monitoring, atong mga operations para walay mopuli atong naconfiscate nga volume sa shabu sa Batangas,” she stated.